1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to child-safe closures for use on pill bottles and other such containers. More particularly, the present invention relates to child-safe closures with contact areas that must be manually depressed in a predetermined sequence in order to open the child-safe closure.
2. Prior Art Description
The Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 requires that manufacturers of prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, household chemicals, and other hazardous materials package those products in packaging that inhibits young children from opening the packaging. The specialized packaging is often referred to as “child-resistant packaging” in the industry. Child-resistant packaging can take many forms. However, if the product being sold is in pill form, the most commonly used child-resistant packaging is a pill container with a child-resistant closure.
Child-resistant closures are specialized closures that attach to the neck of the containers. The child-resistant closure can only be opened if the child-resistant closure is manipulated in a specific way. For example, many manufacturers use child-resistant closures that must be aligned in a specific direction in order to open or must be squeezed in certain places in order to open. Such closures are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,380 to Branson, entitled Child Resistant Flip Top Closure.
Such complex manipulations do work to prevent small children from accidentally opening a pill container. However, the need to perform such complex manipulations has the unwanted side effect of also making it difficult for the elderly, handicapped and infirm to open pill containers. Such users often lack the hand strength or dexterity to preform the needed closure manipulations. Furthermore, many such prior art child resistant closures require a person to use two hands to open the closure. Many people, due to stroke, amputation, and/or injury do not have full use of both hands. As such, these people must seek assistance in order to open many of their medications.
It will therefore be understood that a need exists for a new closure design that is both difficult enough to open to be considered child-resistant, yet easy enough to be opened quickly using only one hand. In the prior art, this balance has been difficult to achieve and has often resulted in complex closure designs that are expensive to manufacture. The need, therefore, also requires that the child-resistant closure be both simple and inexpensive to manufacture. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.